Dr. Juanita Diaz-Cotto is Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies Program (LACAS) and
Professor of Sociology, Women's Studies, and LACAS. Within Latin America and the Caribbean
her special areas of interest have been: revolutionary movements, state formation,
political economy, peasants, the military, feminist and lesbian-feminist movements,
and the African Diaspora. Additional specialties include: Latinas(os) and women of
color in the U.S. and the impact of criminal justice system on women and men of color
in the U.S. and Latin America. One of Dr. Diaz-Cotto's primary academic and scholarly
objectives is to "help students bridge the gap between theory and practice inside
and outside the classroom."